If there’s one thing we’ve gleaned about María Daroz and David Puerta, it’s that they take a damn great portrait. When we first posted on the designers behind Spain-based Viruta Lab, we were almost as smitten by their cheeky photo—complete with fish—as we were the project itself. See also the above.

Write María and David of their firm’s beginnings: “While he expressed his passion for art by painting on the walls, she trained in the rigorous and delicate discipline of classical ballet. This is how the architecture shows itself: functional, balanced, sensitive, and expressive. Residential, ephemeral, retail. and contract spaces with a purpose: the emotion.” 

For our first Quick Takes entry of 2025, the duo writes in from Valencia with

You’re invited to dinner. What’s your go-to gift?

A bottle of excellent Rioja wine, leaving a mark of our team’s origin.

What’s on your bedside table?

We usually design these elements with a different vision, reinterpreting the piece as it’s traditionally known. So, although we don’t have a typical bedside table, we currently keep Tanizaki’s In Praise of Shadows and water nearby.

What’s your desert island design/art/architecture-related book?

Any book on architecture, art, or design is welcome, but ideally a large one in case we need to use its pages to keep warm.

What podcast or playlist do you put on when you need inspiration?

We have several very “Viruta” playlists covering all genres, so it depends more on the day than on inspiration. You’ve got to mix it up!

What’s a film or TV show whose aesthetic has stuck with you?

The classic Mad Men, where less is more, with a touch of sophistication that elevates color from trend to excellence.

Our favorite sheets are…

Frette 1860, not for their design, but for their spectacular Egyptian cotton.

Our favorite paint color for the bedroom is…

Our Viruta green, with which we would not only paint the bedroom but the entire house, as we’ve done in our studio.

Our unpopular design opinion is…

…when an excess of trends, or mixing pieces and finishes, serves photography and reportage, it loses sight of their use and purpose.

Your design pet peeve?

Loud elements and unnecessary embellishment. Less is always more.

Our go-to kitchen utensil is…

A well-sharpened Arcos knife.

Three words that describe our design style:

Respectful (not just to the environment but to the client). Reinterpretation (of the classic, with contemporary elements and materials). And functional, as the basis of all design. Spaces are meant to be lived in.

First design love?

Frank Lloyd Wright, contemporary master of architecture, especially in spatial zoning and volumetric composition, and in design through woodwork and materials.

What item from your closet do you have on repeat?

Black tailored pants, in any version.

Favorite design shop to visit (online or in person)?

Oteyza. Unparalleled mastery in their reinterpretation of classics and the cape tradition.

We don’t leave the house without…

Paper and pen. Right now, an A5 Moleskine notebook and an Ohto Needlepoint pen.

Thanks so much, María and David! You can follow their work @virutalab and virutalab.com.